The Golden Key
by PunkPrincess316
Summary: A bird trapped in a gilded cage can only be set free with a key of pure gold. KyoyaOC
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello darlings! This is my new piece for OHSHC. It features Kyoya and OC love interest Evangelia. Reference pictures will be on my profile shortly, so until then, enjoy!**_

The sky was an angry grey color, threatening hurl it's water droplets on the innocent passersbys.

Lia smiled to herself as she twisted her wedding ring around on her finger, the third band making the ring slightly cumbersome on her hand.

She'd met her husband on a day like this, so long ago.

`o`o`o`o`o

"Kyoya, are you listening to me?"

"Of course father." The serious dark haired man turned away from his post at the window.

"I'm not joking about you picking out a suitable wife. You've been a bachelor for far too long. It's unseemly. People are starting to whisper about it behind out back, and we can't have that."

"As you wish." Kyoya murmured, even though he was only twenty three.

To be entirely honest, he didn't want to get married. Getting married meant having children. Having children meant having an undeniable link to someone he didn't love.

Frankly it was a disgusting concept, but no one asked Kyoya what he thought.

"Good." His father said, reining Kyoya's wandering thoughts, "I've already got a few young ladies lined up. I'd like for you to consider them."

Kyoya nodded. Chances were they'd all be the same and it wouldn't really matter which one he picked.

"You're dismissed." The older man's condescending tone made Kyoya bristle.

But he remained silent. Turning sharply on his heel, Kyoya strode from the room, away from the suffocating atmosphere of his father.

Outside, the sky seemed to share his dour mood. A malicious swirl of steel colored clouds, it could begin pelting rain any moment.

Kyoya heaved a sigh and threw himself onto a park bench. He'd put enough distance between him and his father.

He closed his eyes pensively. After high school the host club had still remained close, and that was a blessing. Without them, Kyoya had no doubt that he would have gone mad.

He pulled his phone out of his inside jacket pocket. _I'll call Tamaki._ _He'll know what to say, right?_ Kyoya tapped out the number, but just stared at it for a few long moments before shaking his head and putting the phone back into his pocket.

This wasn't Tamaki's problem. And he really didn't want to stress his friend out when Haruhi was pregnant. The man was already on the verge of an aneurism and he still had a few months left.

Kyoya stifled a chuckle at the memory of the last time Tamaki had gone with Haruhi on her trip to the doctors.

A subtle movement caught his attention. Perched delicately on the bench next to him was a petit brunette.

"Hello." Kyoya said softly.

"Hi there." She said softly.

Kyoya found himself holding a folded piece of paper in his hand.

"Don't look at it 'till later, okay?"

He wasn't sure why, but Kyoya found himself nodding.

The brunette flashed him a quick smile, then disappeared off into the park.

Kyoya waited until she was out of sight and unfolded the paper. His curious eyes uncovered a charcoal drawing of a man sitting on a park bench.

It took him a few minutes to register who he was staring at.

_She drew me._

It was true. The long legs and glossy hair were undeniably his. His head was tipped back and his arms slung casually around the back of the bench. Unconsciously dominating the space he was occupying.

_She doesn't know me. How is this so good?_

Kyoya didn't have an answer to that and he had to admit he was intrigued. Not often was there a puzzle the Kyoya Ootori couldn't solve.

That made it all the more interesting.

Kyoya sent a quick glance about the park. The girl was gone.

_Maybe she'll be here tomorrow?_

She probably wouldn't be. Kyoya went to the park almost everyday and he'd never seen the brunette there before. Chances were he'd never see her again.

It was a sobering thought, but that only made the onyx haired man even more determined to figure out every secret the elusive artist had to tell.

He's scour the whole countryside if he had to.

_**There you are! The first chapter! I'm planning on doing one for all the Host Club members and I'd like to work on 2 at a time so let me know ASAP which club member you'd like to see done next and I'll get the partner posted.**_

_**Honey**_

_**Mori**_

_**Kaoru and Hikaru**_ **– can be done as a mutual or separate love interest. I like the mutual myself, but I'll do either.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Tada! Here is the next chapter… I must admit I'm on quite the writers kick right now. So I'm trying to get as much written as I can before I get another block!**_

Kyoya hated tiled floors. He really did. Every click-clack step of polished shoes sent a thundering shock of agony from his temple through his spine.

He hated computer keyboards too. And the ding of the elevator. And the noise the coffeepot made while it percolated.

Kyoya Ootori had the mother of all migraines.

"Kyoya," His father's normally irritating voice was nearly unbearable.

"Yes?" Kyoya struggled to keep his voice civil.

"I've got a few of your potentials lined up in the lobby."

Kyoya sighed. "Now? I'm in the middle of work."

The older Ootori's face hardened, "I tolerate the face that you don't work directly for the family company but I will not allow you to put it before your duty to this family."

"Yes sir. Just give me a moment." Kyoya saved all his work and closed his laptop. He stood, "Lead the way."

Yoshio nodded and strode out of his son's office.

Kyoya struggled to contain a growl of irritation as he followed his father. Despite being a former host club member he was hardly in the mood to entertain a bunch of silly girls.

He had work to get done and he was sick of his father's games.

"Here they are." Yoshio said, introducing each of them one by one.

Kyoya nodded and greeted each of them politely but he knew in an hour or so he wouldn't remember any of their names.

A flash of movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

To his utter amazement it was the brunette girl from the day before. Today she was sporting a pair of comfortably distressed jeans and a bright blue scoop neck - completely contrasting the ladies in front of him who were all in either grey navy or black.

"Kyoya?" Yoshio said, breaking Kyoya's fixated concentration.

"Yes?"

"Which one would you like to take to dinner tonight?"

Each of the six women perked up immediately, reminding Kyoya of vultures.

"I… uh…" For once he wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Don't be embarrassed." A skeletal red head purred. "None of us are sore losers. Right girls?"

Each woman agreed whole heartedly, confident they would be the one that was chosen.

"I'm afraid I can't take any of you to dinner tonight." Kyoya said, dipping into a polite bow.

"And why not?" This time it was a blonde that spoke up.

"Because… I already have a dinner appointment tonight?"

Yoshio's brows knitted together. "You already have a date?"

Originally he had intended to say it was a work related function, but that would be too easy to prove false.

"Something like that, yes."

"Who is it with?" the red head's purr was decidedly less friendly.

Kyoya's eyes frantically scoured the lobby for someone he could say he was meeting with. The artist from the day before was the only one around.

"Her," Kyoya made a vague gesture towards the brunette.

The girl turned to face the group, no doubt able to feel the murderous gazes of six vengeful women.

Kyoya's father didn't seem convinced in the slightest. "What's her name?"

Kyoya smiled suavely. "My, how rude of me. Darling come here, I'd like to introduce you to some friends of mine."

The little brunette gave him a questioning glance.

"Don't be shy." He tried to send her an apologetic look with his eyes.

Apparently she got the message because she walked over to him.

Kyoya tried desperately not to notice how her low riders hugged her hips perfectly, or how she had a natural come-hither walk most women took years to attain.

"Did you need something?"

Kyoya owed this woman his immortal soul, "My father, his associates and I were just talking about you."

She smiled easily while the other women fumed about being called associates, "Nothing bad I trust?"

"Of course not."

She turned to Yoshio and extended a hand cordially, "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Evangelia DiAntanasta."

Yoshio shook her proffered hand, "Yoshio Ootori."

Evangelia smiled and turned to the harem of women. "And it's nice to meet you all as well."

Most of them completely ignored her but a few took the time to introduce themselves.

"I've been told you and Kyoya-san are going out to dinner." The red head spoke out again.

"We are?" She turned to Kyoya, who nodded in confirmation. "Kyo-kun you are such a rascal. When were you planning to tell me?"

Kyoya did his best to look sheepish. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

She laughed. "I knew you weren't telling me something this morning!"

Kyoya laughed. "I guess so."

He couldn't believe what a fantastic actress Evangelia was. She made it seem like they had been dating for months.

Yoshio looked reasonably satisfied by their performance. "I suppose I'll let you get back to work."

"Thank you father." Kyoya said with a respectful bow. "I appreciate your effort and I apologize for not telling you about Evangelia sooner."

Yoshio nodded gruffly, turned on his heel, then stopped. "DiAntanasta… that name sounds very familiar to me for some reason."

"My family is quite involved in the stock market." Evangelia said helpfully. "Most of them are stockbrokers."

"That would explain it. You wouldn't happen to be of any relation to a Joseph DiAntanasta would you?"

"He's my uncle, sir."

Yoshio nodded then continued on his way out of the building, the harem of women following close after.

Kyoya breathed out a sigh of relief. "I really owe you one for this."

There was no response.

"Evangelia?" Kyoya turned around.

She was gone. Again.

_**There you go! The next chapter is already being worked on as we speak. So be on the lookout for updates. The more reviews the faster I work! Just like magic :]**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay! Hopefully the next chapter will arrive on time... no thanks to the Evil Word Document Eating Computer. I swear. School computers are retarded**

"Ootori san?" The timid voice of his secretary snapped Kyoya's attention away from his keyboard.

"Yes Jessica?"

The woman flushed lightly, clearly pleased he had remembered her name after working there for so short a time.

"Aren't you going home now?"

Kyoya's brow furrowed as he glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten o'clock. Well past time for him to have left.

"I will in a little while. You may leave if you'd like though."

Jessica gave him a bright smile. "Thank you!" She disappeared into her adjoining office.

Kyoya sighed, at least his headache was gone, but Jessica's enthusiastic humming was enough to give him another. She probably had another date tonight.

Shaking his head, Kyoya returned his attention to his laptop. He was too far behind to be daydreaming.

But a half hour later, the stack of paperwork had barely taken a hit. There were still a load of work to do, but he'd be damned if it would get done tonight. He was tired and it was late. With a sigh Kyoya shut down his laptop and fit it into the small briefcase he kept it in. He let his hand linger over the dark leather, savoring the smooth texture.

Kyoya slung the strap over one shoulder and started out of his office, stopping only long enough to lock his door. Summoning an elevator, Kyoya closed himself inside the steel box. Resting his head on the cool wall, he let his mind wander to the mysterious woman he had seen at the park, and again today.

Evangelia DiAntanasta.

God he hoped they met again. She had peaked his curiosity, and few managed to do that often. It certainly didn't hurt that she was a beautiful woman.

At the ground floor the elevator dinged and released him into the lobby.

Evangelia

She was standing close to the doors, completely oblivious that he was staring at her.

"Are you sure you don't need me to come get you?" she was talking into a little black cell phone. "Okay then. Have a good time sweetie. I'll talk to you tomorrow." The cell phone was shut and slipped into her back pocket.

Kyoya walked up to her. "We meet again."

Evangelia jumped, "Wow, didn't see you there. Startled me a little bit."

He smiled. "My apologies."

"You certainly don't look sorry." Her quiet laugh softened her words. "Shame on you Kyo-kun."

Kyoya laughed, the sound seeming to startle him, as if he didn't do it much. "Kyo-kun?"

She smiled. "I'm sure if I had a little more time I could have figured out something a little more embarrassing."

"I can only imagine." Kyoya murmured, his eyes glittering mischievously.

Evangelia's eyes roamed around the building. "So you work here."

It wasn't a question but Kyoya nodded his head anyway.

"What do you do?"

"I'm the assistant CEO of this corporation.

Evangelia smiled, "That's your position, that doesn't tell me what you do."

He wasn't quite sure how to answer that. He had a feeling she was talking about something much deeper than just his job. What _did_ he do?

She took pity on his silence. "That's okay. You'll figure it out one of these days."

Kyoya nodded. "So are you headed home now, Evangelia?"

Evangelia shrugged, "Maybe. And you can just call me Lia, it's less of a mouth full."

"Maybe?"

Lia ignored his question, "Do you want to see something cool?"

That threw him off. "Ah… sure."

She grabbed his hand, "Come on. I think you'll like this."

Kyoya followed her, taking smaller strides to avoid stepping on the backs of her heels. He found himself being led through the park until they were dead center. Lia settled herself on a bench by the fountain.

Kyoya sat beside her. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Shh." Lia admonished. "Just wait."

He waited a few minutes, but still didn't see anything. As he opened his mouth to ask again, he felt a rumbling under his feet. Curious, he looked around.

With a grand spray, the fountain erupted upwards in a huge geyser, the tiny droplets of water catching the soft park lights and throwing rainbows.

"And that what I wanted to show you." Lia said with a smile.

"…Wow." That was Kyoya could think of to say.

When he turned to look at Lia, he half expected her to have disappeared like she had all the other times.

Surprisingly she was still there when he looked, a half smile on her lips.

"What?" She asked.

"You're still here."

She shrugged. "Didn't really see a reason to leave."

Kyoya laughed. "Do you live far from here?"

Lia shook her head, a suspicious look dominating her features.

"May I walk you home?" As he said the words, Kyoya was mentally kicking himself.

_Don't be disappointed when she says no…_

"Sure. I'd really like that."

The world was full of small miracles after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm trying so hard not to put these stupid author notes at the top and bottom of all my stories…. But my OCD seems to be getting the better of me :]**

Lia walked like a perfect lady, one foot perfectly in front of the other, creating a delicious sway in her hips.

She had rested her arm lightly on the crook of his arm; the light pressure feeling like it belonged there.

"So, what's your favorite color?"

Her question startled him, "Uhm... blue I suppose."

She winked, "Such a manly color."

He chuckled, "Well what's your favorite color?"

"I like white."

"That's not a color."

"Yes it is!" Lia argued. "It's all the colors!"

He laughed. "I thought you artistic types though white was the absence of all color."

"No. White is the absence of all pigment. Besides if you follow that logic, all the colors should make black, and it just makes a brown color."

Kyoya conceded the point. "It seems I can't win the argument against an expert."

"I'm hardly an expert." Lia murmured.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm not an expert in anything yet."

Lia arched a slim brow, "Yet?"

Kyoya shrugged. "I'm getting there. I know your name, your uncle and your favorite color. I feel like I'm making progress don't you?"

"You're such a flirt!"

Kyoya's grin faltered a little. He wasn't a flirt. He really wasn't. That was Tamaki's job. Kyoya was the calculating one, but this woman seemed to bring out the strangest qualities in him.

He liked it.

Abruptly he stopped and turned to face Lia. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

"What?"

"Well I told my father I was having dinner with you and I see no reason to make a liar out of myself." Kyoya grimaced at the cold way the explanation came across.

Sure enough Lia removed her hand from the crook of his elbow. "I'm sorry but I'll have to decline."

She started to walk away from him.

"What if I said I wanted to have dinner with you because you're a beautiful fascinating woman?"

She turned back around, "Then I think I'd say yes."

Kyoya caught back up with her and resettled her hand on his arm.

"Come on."

"Where to, gallant sir?" She asked with a mock English accent.

Kyoya laughed a little, "You'll see."

"Now I'm curious,"

Kyoya caught her dark, enigmatic eyes, and mutter under his breath, "Yeah so am I."

"What?"

"Nothing." He steered her into a small Italian restaurant.

The host greeted Kyoya by name and led them to a booth by the rear of the restaurant.

The two sat down and the waiter took their drink orders.

"I hope you like Italian… I didn't even think to ask."

"Italian is fine by me." Lia said, an infinitely small smile gracing her smile.

God, that was one of the things he liked best.

"What do you like best?"

With an embarrassed start Kyoya realized not only was he staring at her mouth, but he had spoken out loud.

"You're always smiling," he muttered.

"Well thank you." Lia said, "You know your smile is adorable too. But you're always so serious looking."

Kyoya didn't really know how to respond to that…. No one had ever told him that before. Then again, Lia told him a lot of things that no one had ever said before.

Luckily the waiter took the opportunity to set their drinks in front of them, and Kyoya didn't have to answer.

Lia picked up her cherry Coke and took a deep draw on the straw. "Please excuse me. I need to go to the ladies' room. I'll only be a moment."

"Okay?" Kyoya watched her walk away, slightly concerned by the small tremors in her legs. What if she fell?

He kept mulling it over in his head until she came back and sat down.

"I'm back." She said unnecessarily, a shy smile on her face.

"Are you alright?" Kyoya asked sternly.

She nodded, making the dim light in the restaurant play over her silky hair. "I'm mildly hypoglycemic. My sugar is a little low right now."

"Are you on medication?"

Again she shook her head. "Oh no. It's not that bad. I just check my sugar level once a day."

"Okay." Kyoya wasn't quite satisfied with that answer but he let it go. God, he was like a pitbull when it came to her. He couldn't quite hammer into his mind that she wasn't his property. He wasn't the possessive type. Mori was, the twins definitely, but not him.

The waiter politely cleared his throat and asked for their orders.

Kyoya glanced over at Lia, "Are you ready?"

She nodded.

He turned back to the waiter. "I'll have the chicken Bolognese."

The waiter quickly jotted it down and turned to Lia, "And you ma'am."

"I'd like the raspberry tiramisu. Please."

The waiter smiled and wrote that down too. "Dessert first?"

Lia smiled. "Absolutely."

"No wonder you're so sweet." The waiter winked.

Kyoya barely restrained the urge to growl angrily at the waiter. The man was flirting with his date right in front of him!

Lia's tinkling laugh restrained him. "You're impossible Angelo."

Angelo winked at her again. "Just being honest, sweetie."

That was it. Kyoya was going to commit murder.

**And so concludes the epic chapter 4! R&R**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ta Da! Here is the next chapter for your reading pleasure!**

"Lia," Kyoya tried to keep his voice level, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

She smiled beguilingly at him, "This is Angelo, my cousin. Kyoya meet Ang. Ang meet Kyoya."

The two men nodded stoically at one another, staring daggers into each others eyes. Did Kyoya feel better this was her cousin and not a rival? Yes. Did he like that another man was stealing Lia's attention? No.

From the way Angelo was staring at him, Kyoya could tell that the man wasn't comfortable with him either.

"Play nice." Lia chided.

The two men reluctantly quit their stare down and returned their attention to Lia, who was quietly watching them.

It was silent for a moment before Angelo excused himself to get their orders.

"So," Kyoya said, making light conversation, "Are you and your cousin close?"

"Oh yes." Lia smiled, "We grew up together. Neither one of us had any siblings."

Kyoya nodded.

"What about you? You strike me as an only child."

"I actually have three older siblings. Two brothers and a sister."

Lia nodded, "Ahh. Large age gap?"

"What makes you say that?"

"You're very solitary. Most only children are comfortable on their own because they grew up that way, but since you're not I'd say a large age gap."

Kyoya shrugged, "I suppose that's true."

"So what are your siblings like?"

Kyoya frowned, studying her face, but Lia genuinely seemed interested in what he had to say.

"They're successful."

Lia raised an eyebrow at him, "But is that really what's important?"

"I… suppose not." Kyoya didn't really know what else to say. He really didn't have any other ways to describe his family.

"I take it you're not very close with your siblings?"

He shook his head no.

"Well I guess that can't be helped," she murmured.

Kyoya opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the waiter placing their food on the table.

Lia thanked Angelo then returned her attention to Kyoya. "Sorry what were you saying?"

"Uhm…" He bit the inside of his cheek. Kyoya Ootori had never been nervous before in his life.

He was nervous now.

"May I keep seeing you?"

Lia took a bite of her tiramisu. "I'd like that."

Kyoya smiled and also took a bite of his food. As always the pasta was delicious.

God, he couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled like this. He looked over the table and met Lia's eyes.

She'd done this for him.

Lia gently scooped a small portion of the dessert onto her fork and held it out to him, "Do you want to try it?"

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he really didn't care for sweets, but something inside him kept the words silent. Instead he leaned forward and took the tiramisu off the tines of her fork.

To his surprise, he actually liked the taste of the dessert.

"Good?"

Kyoya nodded and offered her a bite of his pasta.

They finished their dinner that way, quietly talking about anything and everything while feeding each other bites of their meal.

"Are you ready to go?" Kyoya asked.

Lia nodded, "It's sort of late."

They both reached for the check at the same time.

"I'll pay," Kyoya insisted. "I'm the one that invited you out."

To his surprise, he actually wanted to pay.

Lia removed her hand from the little book, content to let him have this small happiness.

Moments later they found themselves back on the sidewalk, walking side by side. The same place they had been less than an hour ago.

But this time everything was different.

**R&R please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**And here is chapter six!**

The insistent ringing of Kyoya's phone woke him up from a light sleep. Fumbling around on his nightstand, he finally felt the outlines of the phone with his fingertips. Flipping the little device open, Kyoya held the phone up to his ear.

"Hullo?"

"Kyoya!" Clearly Tamaki was a much earlier riser than himself, "Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up."

He glanced at the clock and groaned. "It's alright. I needed to get up right about now anyways."

Kyoya heard the sound of a sliding door and then Antoinette's excited yipping in the background.

"Come on girl. Come inside."

Kyoya was struck again with how different his and Tamaki's life was. It was always something that he had been subconsciously aware of, but for some reason it struck him even more now.

He and Tamaki couldn't have lived more different lives.

Tamaki cleared his throat. "So, I haven't talked to you in a while. What have you been doing?"

Kyoya smiled, "The usual, working."

He could practically feel Tamaki wilting on the other end. "Nothing interesting?"

"Took a girl out to dinner last night."

"What?" Kyoya had to hold the phone away from his ear as Tamaki let out a shrill yelp.

He scowled, "Come on! It really isn't all that shocking."

"Is too!" Tamaki muttered, "Isn't it Antoinette?"

Antoinette let out a deep woof.

"Come on girl! Tell him! I don't think he heard that,"

Antoinette woofed again.

"Good girl," Tamaki cooed. Kyoya could hear crunching in the background – probably a dog biscuit.

He swallowed his irritation, "Could you refrain from feeding your pets snacks while I'm on the phone?"

Tamaki snorted, "You're just mad because Antoinette sided with me!"

Kyoya rolled his eyes at his best friend, even though he couldn't see, "Oh whatever. I need to get ready for work."

"Kyoya, it's Sunday."

He sighed. "I know. Unfortunately the world does not stand still on the Sunday. I just need to pop in for a little while and finish up some paper work."

Kyoya could tell Tamaki was frowning again. "You need to take some time off Kyoya. You're working too hard. You're going to burn yourself out."

"I'm fine." The hollow phrase practically echoed.

"Okay," Tamaki said breaking the silence, "Maybe you're new girlfriend can knock some sense into you for me."

Kyoya smiled a little to himself. If anyone could 'knock some sense' into him it would be the lovely Lia.

`o`o`o`o`o

He stared up at his office building. It was a solemn slate grey, the top of the skyscraper slicing up into the sky like a knife.

Shaking his head, Kyoya entered the building, leaving the muggy summer heat behind him. Quickly getting into an elevator, he hit the button for his office.

Jessica had the day off, so the entire floor was blissfully deserted.

Stepping into his office, Kyoya let out a sigh of relief until he saw the figure that had seated itself at his desk.

His father.

"Can I help you with something?" Kyoya struggled to keep his tone level.

The older Ootori lifted his gaze to stare coolly at his youngest son, "You need to pick a wife and settle down."

Kyoya nodded stiffly, "Yes I know this."

His father slid a small velvet box across the desk to his son, "You have two weeks. If you cannot pick a suitable bride, one will be provided for you."

With that statement Yoshio Ootori walked out of his son's office.

As soon as he left, Kyoya picked up the little box and opened it. Nestled inside was a shining silver band studded with small diamonds and deep blue sapphires.

It was a very beautiful ring, but nestled in his hands, Kyoya couldn't help but feel he was holding a curse.

Carefully Kyoya tucked the box into his suit pocket and left his office, paperwork forgotten.

Leaving his office building, Kyoya let himself wander aimlessly, lost in thought.

He wasn't going to see Lia ever again. It wouldn't be fair to her to ask for more than just friendship, when they both knew what was going to happen.

For some odd reason that thought pained him more than the idea of marrying a stranger.

"Kyoya?"

The lilting voice made him stop. Realizing that he had subconsciously directed himself to the park, he turned to see Lia.

"What are you doing here?"

Kyoya just shrugged his shoulders, and wearily sat down on a park bench.

Perching next to him, Lia placed a hand on his shoulder, a frown creasing her forehead.

"What's wrong?"

"I - " Kyoya stopped speaking, then tried again, "It's nothing."

He should tell her the truth. Tell her that he was getting married and that he could never see her again. He should have scared her off, made her go away.

But he didn't.

Perhaps it was because deep down Kyoya was selfish. He wanted to take her out to dinner, to see her smile, and hear her laugh.

He wasn't ready to let go of her yet.

Lia's hand began rubbing soothing circles on his back. "Whatever it is, it'll all be okay. I promise."

Kyoya managed a weak smile and Lia stood up, "Wait right here. I'll be right back."

She trotted off only to return a few minutes later with two impossibly tall ice cream cones in her delicate hands.

She handed one to Kyoya. "When I was little, my mom used to take me to the park all the time. We'd buy sea salt ice cream and feed the birds. I always came home feeling like the world on my shoulders was a little lighter."

Kyoya took an experimental lick of the ice cream and smiled a little. "I don't know what I did without you, Lia."

She smiled at him, "It's okay. I know the feeling."

Looking at Lia, and licking at his ice cream, Kyoya guessed that Tamaki was right.

Sometimes the world did stand still on Sundays.

**There you are darlings! Teehee. Review as always. Three reviews and I'll update the next day.**


	7. Chapter 7

Sitting on that bench, Kyoya felt like they were the only two people in the world. It was a heady feeling but the omnipresent lump in his pocket kept him from completely enjoying it.

Kyoya opened his mouth to come clean, to tell Lia everything and hope she wasn't too hurt. But once again, he just couldn't do it. No matter how hard he tried, it felt as if the words dried up before they could ever make it out of his mouth.

"It's okay." Lia said, "Take your time."

They started walking down the path.

"Thank you."

Lia looked over at him, "For what?"

"For the ice cream, for the company." _For understanding_

She smiled, "There's nothing to be grateful for. Especially after this."

Kyoya frowned. "After what?"

"This," Still grinning Lia pushed him into the basin of the park fountain.

The cold water was quite a shock and he let out a startled yelp.

After seeing the look on his face, all Lia could do was laugh. Even after Kyoya had pulled her into the water with him, she still couldn't stop. Her mirth was infectious and pretty soon Kyoya found himself laughing too, the ring in his pocket forgotten.

They played in the water for fifteen minutes before their teeth started chattering. Still laughing like lovesick fools, they climbed out of the fountain.

Kyoya wrung his tie out and Lia did her best to dump the water out of her soaked Converses.

"Come on." Lia took his hand and led him away from the park.

It wasn't until they were standing at the base of the stairwell that Kyoya realized Lia had led him to her apartment.

Fishing the keys out of her waterlogged pockets, Lia unlocked the door and let him into her home.

Looking around, Kyoya wasn't at all surprised to find that Lia lived there. The walls were covered in framed pieces of art and the sofa was draped with lace. While he looked around, Lia disappeared into her bathroom

She returned a moment later with a fluffy white towel and a pair of men's sweat pants.

"Here you go?"

Kyoya eyed the pants. No way in hell was he wearing Lia's boyfriend's clothes.

Heck he didn't even know if she had a boyfriend.

"Whose clothes are these?"

Lia looked back at him, "What? Oh those, they're Angelo's. He stayed with me for a few days a while ago."

"Are you…. Involved?"

Lia frowned. "Are you asking me if I'm seeing anyone?"

Kyoya nodded.

"I'm not. Are you?"

Kyoya shook his head no.

Lia smiled and disappeared into her kitchen "What sort of tea would you like? I'll put on the kettle while we get changed."

Kyoya peered over her shoulder and picked out a canister.

"Autumn harvest."

Lia nodded. "It's my favorite. I can only get it during the fall so I buy a lot of it and try to ration it."

Kyoya handed her the can. "Well I'd say this is a special occasion wouldn't you?"

She laughed and put the kettle on, "Go change your clothes before you catch something."

"Worried about me are you?" Kyoya teased.

"Nope. I just don't want to catch whatever it is." She winked and shut the door of her bedroom.

Kyoya shook his head and retreated to the bathroom. Quickly stripping out of his wet suit, he tossed it over the shower rod to dry and pulled on the borrowed sweats.

Drying off his hair he returned to the kitchen where Lia appeared a moment later.

She had changed into a loose white tunic and dark wash jean shorts. That light jasmine scent she always carried with her was intensified, as if she had just refreshed her perfume.

"I like your perfume."

Lia frowned, "Perfume?"

Kyoya nodded. "It's jasmine right?"

"Oh! That's not perfume that's my sachets. I put them in with my clothes. So that they smell nice."

She poured him a cup of the tea. "I had an allergic reaction to a perfume in high school a couple days before the Valentine's day dance."

"Really?" Kyoya filed the knowledge away.

She nodded and puffed out her cheeks while scrunching her face up.

Kyoya laughed. "You did not look like that."

"I did so. It's even in the yearbook."

"No way."

Lia stood up and pulled down a hardback book from the shelves above them. "I will show you."

She flipped to a page and turned it so he could see. Sure enough, there was Lia in a light lavender dress, with flushed puffy cheeks. The fact that she was clearly trying to smile didn't help her case much.

Kyoya cleared his throat and tried no to laugh.

Lia poked him in the side. "It's okay to laugh. Every time I see this picture I usually get the giggles too."

Kyoya smiled. She was such a wondrous person. She was kind, honest to a fault and not afraid to laugh at herself.

He'd never met a woman of her caliber before.

"Can I tell you something?"

Lia nodded. "Of course."

He took a deep breath and told her the whole story.


End file.
